The shoe is on the other foot!

I've gotten SO used to calling photographers to book photo sessions for my bridal clients that it was surreal doing it for myself! This morning, Joe and I had our engagement session with a Pensacola favorite--Rae and Wes Leytham! We had so much fun, and of course, are seeing some fabulous shots so far! Here's some examples of their work this morning! You can check out more of our shots at www.photosbyrae.blogspot.com, and tons of their amazing work at www.raeleytham.com.

Paper Birds

I just realized how random it is that I found this ... as wedding producers we Google really random things every day! In this case it was "paper cutout bird". I was looking for escort cards in the shape of a finch, but instead I found this very fun pictorial of a Valentine's Day celebration. Why can't we do fun things like this in America?! Enjoy...

"Pairs of newlywed lovers pose for photos in front of Zhonghua (China) Gate which is decorated with 770 thousand paper birds in Nanjing. The paper birds were made by local residents of 11 communities in Nanjing to greet the Seventh Night, Chinese Valentine's Day.

Meg Magic

WOW! Kara Marie just emailed this to me. This is from our December photo shoot for Southern Wedding Style Magazine. Meg Baisden shot this at Pandora DeBalthazar's Antique European Linens in Aragon Court. Our beautiful model, Laura, is wearing a gown from Minton's, hair by Paul Knight of Revolution Studio, and make-up by Toni Lazzaro and Emily Stiles. Meg, you made my day! Watch out for Southern Wedding Style Magazine this year!

Greetings from YUMA, ARIZONA!!

I just thought I'd share some humor here in my travels...

the Yuma phone book.... (yes, I'm BORED and have spotty Internet service!)

the ad reads:


"Lutes' Gretna Green Wedding Chapel
MARRY IMMEDIATELY
No Waiting, No Blood Tests
You can be legally married at
our chapel immediately after
being divorced in Arizona!"

wow!

and the one-and-only bridal shop is called "Sugar n Spice" !!!

I love it. I needed some laughs!

Anyway, things are good here. Ari and I have been hotel hopping (apparently there is a rodeo in town that is taking all the hotel rooms!) and trying to enjoy the Desert air. We are looking forward to having a little 'wedding reception' with my family and his family next Saturday. (if you didn't know, we were married last year in Vegas!) My brother is flying in from Miami, my parents from Pensacola, Ari's parents are driving from LA, and we'll all meet at my aunt and uncle's house in Laguna Beach with my grandma and cousins. When I think of all of our brides I always wish for a celebration that is focused on what matters most- on the love, on the great gift we are given in finding the love of our life. I'm very grateful and wish all of you the same! I'll post pictures : ) Enjoy this pic from last March in the Bellagio lobby. (What an amazing hotel for a flower lover! You MUST see their indoor flower atrium!)

More adventures from Yuma to come...

News

I'm not sure how to announce this but it's really good news for Bliss and our brides but really hard news for me at the same time. I'll keep it short. The really good news is I will be living in Gulf Breeze for the rest of the year starting in about 5 weeks. If it could be good timing, it's good timing for all of the weddings we have coming up. I'm really excited to come home to my family and work on these fabulous celebrations. It will be great to be more hands-on with Bliss. The hard news is that I'm coming home because Ari just got orders to Iraq. We've had a few warnings over the last months, but nothing can prepare you for actually getting orders. We (thankfully they are letting me go with him) will be in Yuma Arizona for about 3-4 weeks starting next Monday (yes, this was fast! He just got his orders a couple days ago) while he is training with the Marines before deploying. He's a Navy doc, but the Navy provides doctors for the Marines, so he will spend those short weeks learning how to be one. He'll be at Camp Taqaddum, which is about 74k west of Baghdad, for 6-7 months. That's really all we know right now. I have to say a huge thank you to my team. Danielle, Tiffany, Natasha, Kara Marie, Lindsey, Tamara, Stephanie, and Jessie... I am SO grateful for your sweet words and prayers. Let me tell you, the second I found out about all this, I knew that the Bliss women would have me more than covered. In the face of any challenge, problem, difficulty, or block in the road, they know just what to do. There's nothing more valuable than that- they are truly a TEAM. THANK YOU all. It's great to know I have such a big 'family'. You are phenomenal professionals and even more so phenomenal women. Thank you thank you thank you.

So, that's the news today. A blessing for Bliss. (We've come to a point where it's time to accelerate our growth once again and I'll be happy to be there for it.) And for me personally, a challenge and a heart-ache but nothing God doesn't have in his hands. I am calm just from that thought alone. Ari is a strong man, a quick thinker, and a phenomenal doctor. He's satisfied with the thought of serving and I know he will be such a gift to the soldiers there. He infuses humor into everyday medicine and will find a way to make people feel comforted.

If you have questions about SWS, please email or call Danielle or Kara Marie over the next five weeks. Brides, keep the calls and emails coming- I'm not slowing down an inch! You are a part of my family too : ) And I'll have wireless in AZ. If fact, I'll be in the BOQ (Bachelor Officers Quarters) all day while he's training, so I'll be hard at work as usual. Weekends are the only time I will be away (call Danielle or Kara Marie on the weekends- they have all of my contracts pretty much memorized) . We're planning on milking these last few weekends for all they are worth! We will hopefully get to Vegas, San Diego, Irvine, and then my whole family is flying out (not the cats, don't worry) to spend time with Ari before he goes. We've actually had - amid moments of dread and 'this isn't happening' - a lot of fun over the last two days. We went whale watching yesterday (we saw two grey whales and more dolphin than I could count), played a round of golf with some of the other flight docs, and have been bowling twice at the base.

Again, thanks for all the amazing letters and prayers! I'll keep you posted and I look forward to SEEING everyone very soon.

Lara

ps- Bliss Team photo above by www.raeleytham.com